Naruto: Soul or Soulless
by naruto9001believeit
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga has a destiny she is not aware of. When she meets up with a silver haired woman with a very unusual appearance, it's the first time she vaguely  hears of her fate to eventually become a Soulful OR Soulless form of herself. NaruHina!
1. Chapter 1

**Soul or Soulless  
****  
Chapter 1 –** **The Endless Hall of Rooms**

* * *

Far from everything, yet the centre of this world... past the stormy mountains... past the sandy regions... past the seemingly endless mist... past the rocky terrain... past nearly everything up to a forest vicinity, hiding in the leaves, a village resides near the centre of Fire Country. One of the Five Great Shinobi Nations; Konohagakure. Highly populated, though slightly lacking in Military and Economic strength, the village has always consisted of many famous and legendary ninja clans; from 'Uchiha' (A/N Even though most of the Uchiha have perished in the mass genocide by Itachi Uchiha, once thought to be a great and respected prodigy. Left only his brother to survive) to 'Hyuuga'.

Among the Hidden Leaf Village, unlike the Uchiha, the village consists of a lot of members of the Hyuuga Clan to this present day.

The Hyuuga Clan is one of the founding noble families of Konohagakure. The Clan itself is said to be the predecessors of the Uchiha Clan, who possess the bloodline of the 'Sharingan'. Each member of the Hyuuga Clan retains the 'Byakugan', or 'White eye'. The Clan member gains an extra-sensory perception when the Byakugan is activated, which gives them long-ranged and 360° vision that also allows them to see the chakra network of other beings. Unfortunately, one weakness the members of the Clan have to tolerate with is the small blind-spot that extends outwards from the upper back. So it's not entirely true when the people, who are vaguely familiar of the Hyuuga Clan, say that the Byakugan can see _everything._

Though the Hyuuga use great powers such as the 'Gentle Fist' fighting style, powers like this led to internal conflict within the family. It's because the eye grants such a unique and powerful ability that the Clan became possessive and over-protective of it. The heads of the Clan only saw that the main family were worthy users and inheritors of the Byakugan. As a result, there were two Hyuuga lines, the ones who represented the line; the powerful main family, and the branch family members who are ordered to protect the main family. Otherwise they face a most painful punishment due to the cursed seal they bear.

The cursed seal is placed on the foreheads of the branch family members. It's an alternative used to protect the secrets of the Hyuuga Clan. If the branch family member were to betray the main family, or be killed in action, the seal would activate, destroying the bodies secrets. Therefore the branch family is forced to bow down to the will of the main family.

However this may seem cruel, it doesn't go unnoticed by the entire main house. A woman, wife of the Hyuuga clan's current leader, Hiashi Hyuuga, and mother of Hinata Hyuuga, despises the tradition to brand side branch members at the age of four with the cursed seal. She couldn't make a big difference, but she helped the side branch anyway she could, even if it was just a little.

Lady Hikaru Hyuuga was a peace loving type who thought what was best for every individual with a good enough heart, and was also not as arrogant as most of the main branch.

The same went for Hinata Hyuuga, who was actually more of a peace loving type than Hikaru. Though what she lacked was confidence, and was too obedient to the rules and ways of the Hyuuga because of her insecurity. She never spoke out when she had uncertainties about her father's principles.

Hikaru Hyuuga had always vanquished the worries and doubts of Hinata Hyuuga, and always brought a smile to her face with her kind and stimulating words.

Many attributes of Hikaru have rubbed off on Hinata; she used to be just kind and gentle and was one who would seek harmony with others rather than resort to violence. Before Hikaru came with a reason to help her daughter, Hinata had always quit so easily, as she trained under the cold, watchful eye of her father, Hiashi. But it _was_ thanks to Hikaru that Hinata became even a _little_ more aggressive and much more determined in honing her skills.

In those days, Hinata made a promise with herself that she'd pass on her mother's way of the ninja onto her sister Hanabi as soon as she was of age.

Hinata had started to develop quite well... until a fateful and unexplained incident happened with her mother. It was a long time ago, but how she died; or who or what may have killed her still remain a mystery. Hinata somehow got involved in something dangerous with Hikaru, without the help of anyone else until the young Hyuuga heiress was found, screaming before her mother's corpse.

Too traumatized to go on living with determination or any kind of inspiration, Hinata went backed to her old self... only worse this time. Hinata thought that after seeing the deceased form of her mother, the only support she had, she began to feel that her existence had no meaning anymore.

She had no-one left to smile for, because there was no-one to smile at.

She had no-one to live blissfully for. The one person that brought happiness into her life was gone. It was Hikaru Hyuuga who she wanted to live happily for, as it made her happy in return.

She had no inspiration. The only inspiration she got... was from her mother. Now, all that's given to her are harsh words from her grieving, seething father. Due to her mother's death, Hinata lost nearly every bit of confidence she had left. She pretty much just... stopped trying to prove that she could become a great Kunoichi and leader of the Hyuuga Clan. The thought of proving herself to her father just wasn't comforting anymore. She would have felt differently if it were her mother.

Hinata could no longer live life to its fullest. It was Hikaru who always brought out the impulsive side of Hinata. The Hinata that actually felt free from all negativity.

Hinata never got her chance to teach Hanabi her mother's way of the ninja. The young Hyuuga just couldn't remember anything her mother told her. From the time she first laid eyes on the stiff motionless body... every meaningful word from her just seemed to fade to the back of her mind. It was like everything she learned was no longer necessary, as it did not help Hikaru Hyuuga in the state she was in. She gradually started to become an empty shell, which became her father's broken puppet. That's why she let Hanabi learn her father's way of the ninja, without any other option. Hanabi had no memory of her mother, so Hikaru Hyuuga's way of the ninja ended when she died. Hanabi, however, always wanted to know what kind of person her mother was, but Hinata never dared to mention her, she knew that if she tried, she would break down even further. Even if she did have the courage to speak of her mother, she feared that it would upset Hanabi that she never got a chance to properly grow up with an amazing Kunoichi.

Hikaru Hyuuga used to be the single person who could keep Hinata away from a pit of unnecessary, soulless emotion. One of the only few people who could've brought out the soulful Hinata... the Hinata that could've seen the world as a peaceful utopia, like she knew the outcome of any bad situation... like it was certain that there would be great fortune for everyone good... and marvel at what accomplishments she and others could make. Disaster and hard work might've seemed much easier to get through if Hikaru Hyuuga had lived on much longer.

Those who are unaware of the life of Hinata Hyuuga today, you may wonder why she has not currently given up after losing what she thought was the only inspiration she had in her life. It's only because she has found a new inspiration; a boy with blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, with whisker marks on each cheek. For some reason he had always been hated by the villagers, yet that never brought him down.

If Naruto Uzumaki can get through a life of being hated and later gain the acknowledgement he worked for all his life, then Hinata too could strive to become to greatest of Clan leaders. She won't let the boy she came to love to get far from her as he works to become the greatest Hokage.

The life cycle of human kind is cruel for a usually timid and insecure person... The death of a loved one, who expected things from you that you wanted the world to expect from you and accept... could just as well destroy your heart, leaving you as a soulless shell that's been cleared of all good emotion, left with nothing but painful memories. But knowing that someone is worse off than you, yet still able to smile despite their true sadness, you may just think of how lucky you are, despite the trauma you've went through. And knowing how sorry you are for the one who suffers the most, yet really inspired with how they cope with their misfortune, you just can't help, as you want to walk by that person's side, you just can't help... but feel like you've gained... a soulful heart...

**Soul or Soulless**

* * *

Hinata lay flat on the cold, firm ground, now aware that she wasn't sleeping in her bed anymore. Was this a dream? Where she was felt kind of real, but... she didn't know if she was in control of her motions.

Hinata's vision was kind of blurry at first, but after a few minutes she began to make out her surroundings. It looked as though she was in a tremendously long and narrow corridor, filled with a series of doorways on each side.

After a few moments, receiving the silent shock of where she was, she slowly began to stand on her shaking legs, realising that she _was_ in control of her motions. Usually in a dream, your mind just wonders and things just happen randomly. But here, she had the will to do anything of her own free will. And it also seemed that her body responded to her movements like they usually do; like when she got up from the floor, she felt a strand of her lavender hair run across her cheek and her silk, purple nightdress dance around her supple thighs (A/N yeah, somewhere out there, a perverts nose is exploding, lol).

Standing up straight, she looked down the passage in front of her; it was just an endless, dimly lit hallway of entryways that each led to 'who knows where'. It was the same from behind. Was there any end to the supposedly infinite passage, both in front and behind her?

Hinata decided that there was no point in standing around if she was curious of how long the corridor was, but she had a hard time choosing a direction, considering that either way was a long walk.

Before she could chose the way she'd prefer, the lavender haired Kunoichi took peek into one of the rooms on her right and gasped out of astonishment.

She saw what appeared to be, in the middle of the cube sized room, an orb that gave off quite a bright light, though not so bright that it would light up the whole room. Apart from the unusual brightness coming from the orb, she saw something else quite puzzling about; there was movement coming from unsystematic parts of the sphere, like there were people moving around inside it.

Other than the orb, there was nothing else in the small cube sized room.

Hinata considered entering the room to examine the sphere, but knew that that was a big gamble. If it was dangerous, then her best course of action was to set off down the corridor, so she can figure out where she was and how she ended up there. If things looked hopeless for her, she would investigate the rooms more thoroughly for clues.

Hinata went back to looking both ways. In the end, she ran in the opposite direction she was recently facing.

She ran on her bare feet for what felt like hours, yet still there was no end to the stone structured corridor. She decided to run faster as she was getting impatient. Though the whole journey through the corridor wasn't such a waste; she found that all the rooms to her left (A/N since she's going back in the opposite direction from the place she stood and was facing in the first place) had similar looking bright orbs as the one she saw in the first room she looked into. Though there was either a big or small difference in each room she passed; some orbs were dimmer than the other, an ostensibly rare few were brighter, which she felt attracted to for some reason. Each time she passed a room with a more dazzling, shimmering orb, she felt the need to slow down, just to get a good, long look at it, as though it were one of her precious people, smiling sincerely as she smiled back.

Although these rare types of orbs brightened up the rooms they were within, they did not seem to fully consume the room in luminosity entirely; there was always either a small or big tint of gloom in each room to her left.

What astounded her even more were the rooms to her right. They were each equivalent in size to rooms on her left. In each room, there were orbs nearly the same as the ones to her left, except... these spheres appeared to be and even _felt_ different; unlike the rooms with the elegant, glowing globes of light that she ran passed, the ones to her right gave off no light at all. Infact, you would say that (if you observed them) they rejected light. They appeared to do the opposite to what the ones to her left were doing; the rooms that she passed contained orbs that gave off darkness. Some rooms were shadowed in a small radius from the barely noticeable globe; others were nearly devoured in complete darkness, which Hinata just felt like avoiding. She didn't know why exactly, but she didn't feel comfortable at all being near any of the rooms to her left, especially the ones that were nearly obscured in a dark shadow completely. She just felt scared to go near them. She stayed close to the rooms she passed on her left, where she felt more at peace.

Other than the obvious difference, the spheres to her right floated of the ground the same and seemed to have the same effect where she can make out movement in them.

After running for what felt like an eternity, Hinata stopped, getting exhausted from running endlessly. She came to realise that she didn't have the faintest idea of what was going on, why she was here, how she got there or why the hallway seemed so continuous.

Was this some sort of intense genjutsu? If it was, who would do such a thing to her?

Hinata needed to confirm that this was just an illusion. But first she needed to focus on the full distance of the corridor by using her byakugan, just incase her hypothesis was wide of the mark and that the corridor was actually leading her to a familiar place.

However, she went off track when she glanced at the closest room she was standing by. Inside was yet another glowing orb, hovering off the ground in the centre. It was one that was rarely brighter than the others.

That was another thing; why would someone use a genjutsu that showed her all these rooms containing mysterious spheres of light, which she felt attracted to, and spheres of darkness, which seemed to emotionally threaten her?

If this was an illusion done by a powerful ninja, it could've been arranged to gain the targets trust and, without warning, attack the mind severely. However, Hinata couldn't stop herself from moving closer to the sparkling object. She just felt that if she just touched it, it wouldn't hurt her in anyway.

As she stood at least 7 inches away from the orb, she saw movement within it... people infact. It wasn't clear since the anonymous orbs bright light exceeded her _average_ view of things, but she could definitely make out human figures.

Hinata's impulsive side suddenly took over, as she started to reach out to the glowing sphere. But before her fingers could even tap it, a voice cried out to her from behind.

"HEY!"

Hinata jumped back. Her heart pounded in her chest because of the sudden outburst that took her by complete surprise. After all, there was not a soul in sight as she ran through the immensely long corridor. To have someone show up out of nowhere all of a sudden seemed ironic.

Slowly, Hinata turned to face what she hoped to be her saviour from this hell she called 'Endless sphere domain'. She hoped that whoever it was, it'd be the person that would explain why she was here, _how_ she was here and how to get out.

Hinata was dumbfounded, facing a very beautiful woman. Her hair was a silver colour, and she wore a pure white Kimono. However, her skin was very pale, yet it looked soft. Her grey eyes had pupils that were slit, but her expression showed her kindness and innocence towards Hinata.

These features however were not what stunned Hinata; the woman had white, angel like wings growing out of the small of her back. They were at least three quarters the size of the whole room. But that's not all that shocked the lavender haired Kunoichi; what protruded from lower part of the woman's back were ten tails. They were greyish and scaly, like that of a reptilian creature. They moved constantly, like they were alive and restless.

Hinata could not tell whether she was human or some crossbreed. All she knew was that this woman wasn't normal. But Hinata could tell that, normal or not, this woman was of no danger to her. Infact she kinda felt safe in her presence.

The woman took a few steps closer to the Hyuuga heiress. As her elegant, bare feet continually connected with the marbled floor, there was barely any reverberation of footsteps coming from them. It was almost like she was lighter than air, despite being solid.

Finally the woman spoke in a more graceful, yet somewhat enthusiastic, tone.

"Hm... this room is quite bright, huh?"

Hinata could only nod, not able to figure out what say at the moment.

"Th-that boy... Naruto," she whispered, in awe at what she was seeing. The scene looked so familiar to her. She remembered something like this; it was during the time when she started watching him, with him unaware of it. She usually hid behind a tree, glancing at the progress of his training.

"I guess that means that that there is a very special memory to you... am I right?" the woman said, pointing directly to the glowing sphere behind the confused Hyuuga.

Hinata could not understand what she meant when she said 'special memory', but it was shown that it had something to do with the orb.

"Um... e-excuse me," Hinata said as she finally mustered up the courage to speak to the strange woman. "Um... w-where am I, exactly?" Hinata would usually only stutter in front of people she felt really uncomfortable with, such as her father, who she feared of disappointing. She also felt uncomfortable in front of strange looking people she's never met, afraid that she'd give the wrong impression or that she'd say something offensive about the person's unusual appearance. Though that never meant she wouldn't be nice or show any distaste. She had known for a while that she should never judge a book by its cover.

"You are somewhere between sleeping and awakening," the woman answered, sounding very vague to Hinata. It didn't make any sense. Was she dreaming or not? "You're in a place that represents your destiny of either becoming a soulful or soulless form of yourself."

Hinata had a hard time choosing how she felt about this; she was either confused or interested. What the woman said to her may have confused the young Hyuuga, but she was interested to know what she meant.

Hinata's eyes then fell on the more _unusual_ features of the anonymous woman.

"Oh, checking out my wings and tails?" she asked, but expected no answer. She merely waved her tails around the room. "I know they're not normal, and I also know having wings and ten tails isn't something a normal human being would just let by."

"Oh... I-I'm sorry for staring," Hinata said in a remorseful tone, "I really don't mind them at all. I j-just think they're very... unique."

"Yeah, well... you don't often see many guys and gals with several tails. And in addition, it's also hard to come by a human figure with wings. Whenever somebody sees you like this, they could assume that you're an angel." The woman rolled her eyes out of annoyance.

"So... _are_ you an angel?" Hinata asked, realising that it was a stupid question half a second later.

"DOES A PERSON ROLLING THEIR EYES MEAN _ANYTHING_ TO YOU?" exclaimed the silver haired woman, slamming her long tails against the walls out of frustration.

"I'm sorry!" the Hyuuga cried, waving her hands in front of her face.

"Heh, guess I overreacted, huh?" the woman said with a hint of embarrassment, rubbing the back of her head.

After realising her own rudeness, her expression became quite gloomy. She looked up at the ceiling, like she was studying something that was written on its surface.

"You know... it's not all just innocent assumptions, like calling a person with wings an angel. I mean... when a person takes even a _glance_ at even _one_ of these tails... they may take it harder than you expect at first. People could get scared, they may even hate you, may want you out there life... some would want you dead... *sigh* just for being different. And then... it soon becomes a routine of running away out of fear."

Hinata could understand that the mysterious woman had her own share of problems, what with her unusual appearance. She could understand that with her inhuman parts, she most likely had to put up with a lot of hardship. What's weird about this is that it certainly reminded her of the way her blonde haired hero, Naruto Uzumaki, used to live life. This saddened her deeply, but she tried her best not to show it.

"Well... it's so nice to see that you understand," the woman spoke with more enthusiasm, looking down at the Hyuuga heiress once again, with a compassionate smile. This surprised the girl. Even when she physically gave nothing away, it was like the woman could see into her soul, knowing what she felt.

"Oh Hinata, I can read you like a book," the winged beauty uttered, stifling a laugh before she noticed the curious look the young Hyuuga was giving her. "If you're so curious, why don't you go to that orb over there and I'll show you how it works."

"How it... works?" Hinata asked, looking back over to the glowing sphere at the rear of her. She twisted around to get a better look and slowly moved towards it.

"That's right," the woman replied. "All I really need you to do is focus your chakra to the palm of each hand, to enable your hands to bond with the sphere when touched."

"Um, okay," she said, not sure what good this would do. She had absolute experience in this area of chakra control. The tree climbing exercise was a necessary training regimen for the Hyuuga clan. It was also essential for Hinata to learn how to climb trees with her bare palms using only the right amount of chakra. It was thanks to that type of training that Hinata had nearly perfect chakra control, supposedly on par with her cousin.

Hinata concentrated chakra to her palms and placed them nonchalantly on the glowing sphere. It felt weird, but in a good way. She felt like she was in an embrace, with someone very familiar.

"Now, I want you to spread the orb around this room as much as you desire using your chakra, so you can shape it into a clear picture," said the woman, not sounding too clear to Hinata.

"W-what?" Hinata turned to face the woman, without taking her hands off the orb, hoping for a more obvious explanation for what would happen if she followed her order.

"Just do it, you'll get it soon enough."

Hinata nodded and returned to her position of shaping the gleaming sphere to the approximate size of the room.

It was easier than she expected; all she really did was expand the sphere by moving from the centre to where the woman was standing. It was now a completely different shape, but when she stretched the bright object out, she could make out a tree inside the expansion she made.

Hinata was a bit confused about this, but things seemed a little clearer to her than before; the orb had contained something, but since it was conserved into a small object, the brightness emanating from it was too much for her normal vision to make out unless if it were expanded.

Her curiosity getting the better her, she proceeded to expand the rest of 'thing' (A/N She can't think of a proper name anymore, it just doesn't look like anything now) to her full satisfaction.

Still feeding the right amount of chakra into her hands to keep the expansion of the sphere steady, she stared into it. Right now, from the outside, Hinata had shaped the object into a more massive, yet jagged sphere that gave off more of a _dim_ light. All the light was spread out more since the sphere grew. Having all that bright light compressed into something small can't be good for the eyes.

But inside the rough sphere, Hinata could see one of the training grounds that were found in her village. And apparently not a secluded one.

She saw a small boy, throwing kunai knives at quite a fractured old tree. The tree had previously thrown kunai and shuriken embedded into its bark. The blades looked worn out and rusted, like they were treated roughly in battle for years.

The boy looked to be about six. His hair was blonde and his eyes were an ocean blue type of colour. What made him _especially_ recognisable to the Hyuuga heiress was his whisker marks.

"Th-that boy... Naruto," she whispered, in awe at what she was seeing. The scene looked so familiar to her. She remembered something like this; it was during the time when she started watching him, with him unaware of it. She usually hid behind a tree, glancing at the progress of the blonde haired boys training.

She remembered spying on him at some point when she was young. She recalled him grazing his wrist when he attempted to another shuriken at bark of the tree embedded with bladed weapons. Apparently he had released it too late. She remembered herself wincing at the incident as her heart pounded hard in her chest. She was worried that he seriously might've injured himself.

Looking into the large, jagged sphere, her eyes shifted towards the more wooded area that spread the whole way around the entire training area. It was to the right of the boy that she saw a petite looking girl. Though it wasn't just any girl; infact you would say that she knew the person, who appeared to be watching the young blonde, more than anybody.

It was herself, only more _chibi-like_, about the same age as the Naruto she saw in the sphere (A/N – Just picture young Hinata from episode 166 of Shippuden).

This surprised the Hyuuga heiress quite a bit, as she confirmed that the scene she was looking into _did_ infact happen. She knew this because the things she was witnessing in the expanded and more dimly lit orb where exactly the same as her memory of when she went to watch Naruto train for the third time. She had a... very long-term memory and her remembrances of Naruto are kept precious to her. Every single moment with him, was always remembered.

It was then that she saw her younger self shift uncomfortably. That gesture she made told the older Hinata what was about to happen.

She recalled Naruto spinning a shuriken on his index finger, ready to fling it. Problem was, it was too deep in the finger for it to be released at the right time. So if he threw it too late...

"Gah!" the boy exclaimed, doing exactly what she expected and remembered from that day; he had cut his wrist, which started to bleed quite rapidly, seeing as the gash was quite deep.

The older saw the younger shaking at this. She remembered how scared she was when she thought Naruto had cut too deep. Hinata saw how her chibi self took a hesitant step from behind the tree, showing how she wanted to treat the boys wounds herself if she could. But she also remembered herself considering the option, as she thought of how little use she thought she had.

Before the younger Hinata could think properly, the blonde spoke to himself with pure determination, clenching his fists, despite the stab of pain he felt on his wrist.

"There is no pain... that can stop me... from proving myself to them," his voice was deemed loud enough for the young Hyuuga within the memory to hear. Somehow, the Hinata who was looking into the memory could hear Naruto perfectly. The blonde pulled the shuriken out of the ground. "I'll find a way to be Hokage, even if I lost all my limbs. Nothing's gonna stop me!"

The present Hinata could recall how much the younger Naruto managed to bring forth young Hinata's newly attained will power. She saw her younger self beaming, inspired by his determination and his capability to never give up. The same smile spread across the present Hinata's face.

Too distracted by the heart-warming scene in the large, uneven looking orb, the Hyuuga's manipulated chakra gradually receded to the point where her hands detached from the orbs surface; resulting it to turn back to its original state.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the silver haired woman who directed her into seeing the memory in the first place, lightly placed her smooth, tender hands on the girl's shoulders. She had almost forgotten she was there.

"That boy will be something great, wouldn't you say?" said the woman. Her lips formed into an affectionate smile. "I must admit, you picked the cream of the crop, even though he's oblivious to a lot of things."

Hinata felt the woman's warmth. Truthfully, she wanted to feel her body and embrace. Somehow, when this woman had touched her, she felt like there was an addition to the strength of her heart. It felt like she and this _stranger's_ soul were slowly converging. And for some reason, it felt right.

"Miss... who are you?" Hinata asked with her back towards the woman. "And just... what are these?" Hinata's eyes where directed to the orb, indicating what she wanted to know about.

But the woman did not answer her questions. Instead, she leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"I think it's time for you to wake up... Hinata Hyuuga."

* * *

The Hyuuga's eyes shot open. As she lay on her bed with her arms crossed, light shimmered all around her body. She _could've_ freaked out, as it would've made no sense to her as to why or how she was giving off this glow, but the reason she didn't was because she didn't mind at all, since she barely noticed. All of the sudden - for her - all worry, all fear... all negative emotions were unnecessary.

She was happy. She was thankful. She was giddy. She was fully determined. She was everything that she wanted to be, and that put the biggest smile on her face.

She was ready to yell. She was ready to laugh. She was ready to show the world a great time. She ready to show everyone that she was far from weak. And most of all, she was ready to share her love with-

"SISTER!"

The bright light suddenly vanished from the Hyuuga's body, and so did her newfound emotions. She went wide eyed at the sudden burst of energy, only to have it leave her in a matter of seconds.

"Hinata!" the door to Hinata's room slid open, revealing a girl who was at least a foot small than the Hyuuga heiress. It was Hanabi Hyuuga, Hinata's little sister. She had shoulder length, black hair and had the same byakugan eyes (A/N – obviously).

"Hanabi, w-what is it?" Hinata asked, sitting up, despite the drowsiness.

"I... um," Hanabi seemed hesitant on what to say, "it's nothing really. It's just that... for a second there, I felt a different kind of presence in your room." Hanabi had a confused look, scanning the room using her byakugan. She found no trace of abnormalities. Deactivating her byakugan, she continued. "It must've been my imagination though, I can't feel anything now." A smirk appeared on the young girl's face as she paced over to her older sister. "It's funny though... ironically the presence felt sort of comforting. I was actually more excited than scared. I must be going crazy or something."

Hinata just nodded, not completely sure how to respond to this.

'What Hanabi sensed,' Hinata thought, 'could it have been... me?' Hinata thought back to the flood of intense emotion she experienced just a moment ago. 'What... _was_ that? I felt so strong... so confident... perfect infact. Did that change affect Hanabi's senses?' The woman from her _supposed_ dream, crossed her mind. 'It felt too real... but, surely I was dreaming, right.'

* * *

While Hinata took her morning shower, Hanabi stood in front of the clothes her sister laid out for herself, giving her jacket in particular a distasteful look.

This was the last straw; she was going to give her sister a lecture.

She waited a while until Hinata returned to her room, wrapped in a towel, slightly startled to see that Hanabi was still there.

"H-Hanabi," she said, blushing faintly. She felt kinda embarrassed being half naked in her sister's presence, even though they're same gender.

"Listen sis," Hanabi began, carrying her sister's bundle of clothes, "these are a little too small for you, plus they've got holes everywhere. Why don't you pick out something different and I'll... dispose of these?" Hanabi said with a hint of mischief in her voice. 'Maybe something that could show off your curves, for once.'

"Well, I don't know if I have anything appropriate-," Hinata got cut off when her little sister started tearing her usual clothes apart. "Ah! ... H-Hanabi, did you h-have to do that i-impulsively?"

"Oh come on, Hinata!" Hanabi exclaimed, irritated with her sisters insecurity for her body. She knew how much the Hyuuga heiress's jacket hid, especially since she was staring at her half naked at the moment. "Be a little more flexible. Look in your wardrobe."

Hinata hadn't had much of choice, since her original attire was in shreds anyway.

After a few minutes of searching, Hinata found black ninja pants that reached down to her ankles, and a mesh shirt which she wore over a black T-shirt. She also found high heeled sandals, which were black.

There was only one more thing Hinata needed; a jacket. For some time, whenever she was in a public place, she'd feel insecure about her body. She also liked the embrace her jacket gave her because of the lack of embrace she got from the people she appreciated. She really didn't like to think much on this. However, overtime she began changing jackets, each one less thick than the one before. It was thanks to her friends, teammates and a certain blonde haired ninja that her confidence grew.

Meanwhile Hanabi was looking toward Hinata's desk, where quite a thick book caught her eye. She walked over to the small table to get a closer look. Picking up the book, she read the label:

_My Journal_

'So this is what sister uses to write about her life,' Hanabi thought. It was then that she noticed something hanging out from behind the hard-back cover. From her point of view, it looked like an old photo.

Hinata had found something at the far end of the wardrobe; it hung on its own, with no clothes to company it. It was a jacket; on most of the chest area it was dark blue, however there were two shades of dark blue at the bottom on each side. In the middle and in between the shades of blue, it was a creamy white colour. Its sleeves were white and thin like paper and it looked to be very flexible in all kinds of places. On the small of the back, there was a ying-yang symbol.

Taking one look at the symbol, Hinata recognised the jacket immediately. It belonged to her mother, who had only worn it since she was her daughter's age. Her mother favoured it and wanted to give it to Hinata when she was old enough to wear it. However, the Hyuuga's mother never got chance to exchange it with her. Hinata had decided a long time ago, that she would keep it stored somewhere until she was able to fit into it. But for private reasons, she had her doubts about it.

The Lavender haired girl pulled the jacket out of her wardrobe and held to her chest. She could still smell her mother's scent, which brought back memories; some heart-warming, some painful. She felt confused.

'I'm not sure if I'm ready to wear this,' she thought sadly. 'I mean the thought of wearing something that was once part of her... just makes me think of how I couldn't...,' Hinata's mind stopped for a second. She couldn't bear thought that almost crossed her mind. She tried to think of some advantage in wearing her mother's jacket. 'Her existence was always so comforting... being around her was like... being around Naruto.'

Hinata stared at the garment in her arms. Could she get over herself and just slip it on?

Before she could think of an answer, something caught her eye. She turned to see her sister, who was about to do something terrified her to her very soul.

"Hanabi!" Hinata ran over to her sister hastily, snapping the journal out of her hands.

"Hey!" Hanabi yelled, trying to grab the book out of her sister's hand, failing miserably due to her height. "I wasn't gonna read it, I just want to see that picture."

"Sorry, but... that's private too," said Hinata. She quickly slipped the journal into her back pocket, just incase. She would think of a better place to hide it later. She knew she should've stored it in her cabinet last night, rather than going to bed early.

Hanabi pouted, feeling left out of something she didn't even know of. However, her expression changed when she saw the jacket in her sister's arms.

"I at least hope that it looks better on you than the other one."

Hinata nodded, feeling more sure of herself. It wasn't bad thing to just wear the jacket. It wouldn't do her any harm, it would probably do her more good. It was strange, but by holding it close to her chest, it felt like a type of energy was seeping into her body, one that she usually got from her mother.

Hinata unzipped the zipper and quickly slipped the jacket on, which sent a wave of energy through body. It was still warm... and it didn't feel weird, it only felt right.

Hinata turned to her sister, whose eyes were as big as saucers. She had a sort of expression you would have when you saw something beyond beautiful. But that couldn't be the case with her. For years, Hinata had not directly looked herself in mirror. Since the last time, she couldn't help but feel that her looks were far too inferior compared to the other girls. People hardly looked her way or made a nice comment on her appearance; and one person in particular had yet to compliment her as well. She thought she was too much of a disgrace to look at.

On the other hand, if things went differently today, she could consider giving herself a good, hard look in mirror, and confirm whether or not she was ugly (A/N – believe me, if it were up to me, I would shout out the obvious to her).

"Hanabi, I think I'll go take a walk in this," she said as she ran out of her room. "See you later." She waved goodbye and slid her door shut, leaving Hanabi in her room alone.

'Is it just me, or did sister look really mature just now?' she asked herself.

As she engraved the Hyuuga heiress's new form into her mind, one part of her new attire was stuck in her brain: her back pocket were she kept the journal and the mysterious picture.

'What is she trying to hide from me?' she thought, feeling a little rejected. 'Doesn't she trust me? I can keep secrets.'

Hanabi thought carefully until an idea crossed her mind. A wide grin appeared on her face.

"I got it!" she said, lightly hitting her palm with her fist. "Maybe she finally got together with that boy she likes, and in the picture, they're kissing." Hanabi sniggered, her grin getting wider and wider. "I'd sure like to see that."

* * *

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Soul or Soulless**

**Chapter 2 – The Cherry Blossom in the Lingering Cloud**

* * *

Hinata had just exited the Hyuuga household, eager to inhale the smell of autumn air. Though it was surprisingly warm this time of year, she wasn't complaining.

Hinata, looking left to right first, set off in the direction of Naruto's favourite Ramen shop; IchiRaku's. She was hoping to see him, to at least attempt to have a proper conversation with him. If she couldn't, she'd at least get a glimpse of him. To Hinata, it was always enough just to see his smile every once in a while.

Plus she just wanted to see how he was doing, ever since his Master was killed. She heard this from Ninja who knew of the tragedy. Master Jiraiya and Naruto seemed quite close as far as she could tell. She did not know him that well (although she did hear of him quite often), but she can tell that this was nowhere near comforting for Naruto, because it was obvious Master Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin, was as close as a Father was to the Blonde haired boy.

Hinata knew he never knew his Father, or his Mother, but could tell it was almost as painful for Naruto to lose his precious teacher as to lose his family. She knew that he used to always think of the family he never had before he became a Shinobi. And she knew how horribly the villagers treated him, and she did not understand why or how it went that way for him in the first place. But Hinata would not care for what horrible crime Naruto would commit to make villagers shout at him, using words that used to send her beloved bawling to the depths of the earth. She didn't care. She knew that whatever he did, he did not know either, as far as she could tell. Unless he was keeping a secret, she would know that he was truly sorry for what he did that made all the villagers loathe him ever so much. It pleased her so much to see that he made so many great friends. Maybe even his very own Links held within his _own_ chain, if it were possible that friendship like that really existed and was safe to handle.

Hinata clutched at her chest, thinking of the pain Naruto has to go through these days. If Master Jiraiya were like a Link, losing him was probably more painful for the boy than she thought. It pained her, as though she could feel his _own_ pain. It was lucky for him that he had other friends to support him, and she, as his friend, was going to do the same.

Hinata, twisting and turning, taking different routes practically every 20 seconds, calmed herself by looking in the direction of the peaceful villagers, smiling happily. Children playing, Adults laughing together, the happy customers eating away in the restaurants she passed by. It made her feel revitalised to know how peaceful this village was, with the birds singing, the children's laughter, the cool Autumn breeze, the few prying eyes that lay upon her-

Wait! Prying eyes?

It was true; Hinata saw that some people were staring at her for an instant, then looking away as soon as her head turned in their direction. And the odd thing was that it was mostly boys, at least close to her age. The others, such as Adults and young children, were like bonuses that were just there to look surprised to see her for some reason. However, every guy she passed just stared at her, practically speechless.

Hinata did not get it. What is it about her that makes them gawk at her? Every time she tried to take a peek at them, they would stare in another direction. She didn't understand it. Was it her new look? Were they that surprised to see the Hyuuga heiress wearing her mother's old jacket? Did she look that strange in it? She was surprised that even _one_ person was looking at her. She wasn't the type of person most people would be curious about, at least not in a good way. But today it was all too confusing. She had no idea what it was about her.

The Hyuuga heiress felt uncomfortable. It was too uncomfortable for her to direct unwanted attention. She was afraid that this much attention was because there was something revolting about herself; apparently Hinata always thought of herself as an "Eyesore".

She broke into a small run, ignoring the people staring into her. And, to her relief, she made it to her well known shortcut that would lead her to Ichiraku's much quicker; an alleyway that she entered on her right.

She began to slow down; quite sure there were no prying eyes to be found in a dark alley like this. She walked slowly down the path, pushing the thoughts of those who stared at her to the back of her mind.

What came back to her was what had happened to her that morning. She had no idea how she felt so happy and giddy. She sensed that she was overflowing with power, too much power. Yet she didn't feel overwhelmed at all. It was the opposite; she yielded the moment, and there were no consequences. Usually, it was said that in order to gain something, like what she suddenly gained that morning, you would have to give up something in return. In this case, it had nothing to do with possessions. For ninja's such as herself, using up to 60% of her Taijutsu leaves her stamina at 40% as she has used 60%. Using chakra for ninjutsu or genjutsu _also_ needs the gain of Physical Energy/Mental Energy. Building up chakra to 30% from stamina leaves 70% of stamina remaining. And performing the ninjutsu/genjutsu using the chakra required, such as 20%, leaves 10% of your chakra left.

In Hinata's case, as a ninja in training, she felt as though she was at 100%. She needn't give up any amount of stamina she had for what she had gained at sunrise. It was like she had an endless amount of energy; it was like there was nothing that could push her down; she would just smile, like nothing was wrong, but right. Though she still wasn't sure what had happened, she knew, it was worth it. She hadn't felt that happy in ages. She wished for that feeling again, even if it were for one second. She would take the chance even if she were to give up something in return the next time. At least, if there _was_ a next time. It all happened so suddenly.

Hinata was in a one track mind. Not noticing it, she hit the wall. Once more she was wide awake, remembering her intention of reaching Ichiraku's to see Naruto.

Hinata stayed close to the wall as she walked towards an opening that led to the route that would lead her to Ichiraku's.

'I wonder if what I felt this morning would come back to me as I attempt to...' Hinata thought, realising that maybe what she felt in the courtyard _may_ have only been a natural occurrence. But then she thought, 'I not only felt completely positive of myself, but I felt as though my body had no flaws to it whatsoever. Just what was that?'

Hinata, straining her mind with all the confusion, felt quite dizzy. She then confirmed that what she felt was nothing to worry about. She pushed the subject to the back of her mind, once again.

Hinata, practically magnetic to the wall on her right, moved towards the opening to the next route. Though she needed to make sure that the blonde haired boy she admired was two steps ahead of her, she agreed with herself to look the other way before heading to Ichiraku's.

As soon as she reached the end of the alleyway, she turned right, but only to meet a pair of great, ocean blue, eyes. She knew those eyes all too well. As though time had come to a halt, she had time to stare straight into them for what was really an instant. To her, it felt like an eternity. The moment Hinata realised that the eyes were gradually getting closer, without thinking, she spun around what she thought was the person who owned those eyes instantly.

Her movements came to a halt; her feet were glued on the spot, and she knew the person she avoided was standing right behind her, back to back. Her breathing was heavy. Her face had just been an inch away from touching his own. Her face was ten shades of red. She was too afraid to look back at the one person she knew who could possess such amazing eyes.

Hinata heard movement from behind. Her heart was pounding faster every second. She heard his chuckling, and it only filled her with happiness. She was so delighted that he was still the same as he was 3 years ago.

The indigo haired girl began to shuffle her feet and tugged at her new jacket as soon as she regained the courage to make even the slightest movements. She had hoped that her favourite ninja had noticed the difference in her.

Waiting for what felt like forever, she finally heard his voice from behind.

"Hinata, is that you?" she heard him say.

Hinata slowly turned to face the boy of her dreams.

"Y-yes, hello, Naruto," she said, stuttering a little.

"Hey! I was just thinking about you!"

Hinata gasped and thought, 'No way. He was thinking of... me? ... DON'T FAINT, DON'T FAINT!'

Hinata, for the first time, thought this over slowly and steadily. She was not going to ruin this moment. This was probably one of the only few chances she had to even have a proper conversation with him. It was maybe one of her only few chances to confess her feelings to the blonde haired ninja. She wasn't going to let this chance slip by.

Hinata put on a cute smile, holding back her blush as much as she possibly could.

"You were thinking... about m-me?" she asked.

"Well yeah," said Naruto, who noticed how Hinata avoided eye contact. "That's okay, right? I was just thinking of how little we got to see each other. I mean I definitely wouldn't mind talking to you, maybe on how much you learned over the years since I left the village 3 years ago."

Hinata could not help but gawk at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Who would _ever_ be interested in the training she went through over the years? Yet it was none other than the boy she cherished the most. She would be practically alone with him if she accepted. But Hinata wasn't sure she was ready for that. She was having second thoughts, she could probably try again some other time. But before she even _attempted_ to get out of the situation, Naruto spoke again. But this time, he spoke in a more cheerless tone.

"I was also thinking that... it wouldn't be much fun to eat at Ichiraku's alone, you know? With no one to laugh with and... stuff." Naruto expression said it all: he was pretty depressed, and lonely. He would pick _anyone_ just so he wouldn't feel so insecure and unaccompanied. It pained Hinata to see him this way. She knew _exactly_ what he was going through.

"Um, Naruto?" she said, fidgeting whilst trying to think of the most appropriate way to ask the question she had been dreading. 'I probably shouldn't ask. It's way too inappropriate, especially at a time like this.'

"Hey, what is it?" Naruto asked. "Come on! What, you afraid of asking me a simple question? There's no need to be shy, Hinata." And saying this with a _very_ encouraging smile encouraged _Hinata_ to take the chance in asking.

'Naruto is very strong, it's not like he'll break down easily... would he?'

"Um, a-are you f-feeling okay, e-even after m-master Jiraiya... p-passed o-on? Y-you're not f-feeling lonely because of that, a-are you?"

Naruto took this by surprise. It was pretty obvious since he just stood on the spot with his mouth hanging half open. For what felt like a minute, the only answer she got from him were just random words such as I's and you's, etc. Just as he thought it was time to stop stuttering over a proper answer, he replied.

"Hehe, I uh... didn't know you knew about that," Naruto forced a smile, scratching the back of his head. "Well I... I'm fine. Man, hehe. I keep repeating myself; is it so wrong to invite a friend to chow down with?"

The idea of leaving Naruto alone had completely passed through Hinata's mind. Behind that smirk was the look of unwanted solitude. Now more than ever, she wanted to be by his side, ready or not.

"Hehehe, well if there's nothing else to talk about here, do you want to come eat at Ichi-!"

"Absolutely!" Hinata said, quite loudly. She excused herself as she saw, yet again, the look of surprise on Naruto's face.

"Really, that's great!" he said, feeling far more enthusiastic than he did a few minutes ago. "Well come on! Let's get some goooood Ramen!"

Hinata gave him a small smile as they both headed for Ichiraku's.

As the two of them walked, Naruto looked at Hinata for a second. The glimpse made him wonder.

'Huh, now that I get a good look at her...' Naruto thought but found himself confused. 'I can't shake the feeling, that there is something different about her. Something I've never noticed up until now, and after the 3 years I've been gone from the village. Hm, maybe it's...' Naruto's eyes wondered to Hinata's newfound jacket.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto broke the silence, getting Hinata's attention. "I've never actually seen you wear _that_ before."

Hinata began pressing both her index fingers together as she went red in the face.

"Oh, u-um... y-you've n-noticed," she stuttered. "It's k-kind of o-old, but it's s-still a nice t-thing to wear. D-does it... does it look o-okay on m-me? I-I don't l-look...h-hideous in it, d-do I?

Hinata avoided his gaze, her eyes shut tight. Her whole face was now scarlet. She had no doubt in her mind that this was a stupid question, so she regretted asking in the first place. Naruto was probably going to act polite about this, but that would only make her feel even _more_ embarrassed.

"What are you talking about?" she heard Naruto. "I actually think it suits you perfectly."

Hinata pried her eyes open, looking back at the genuine smile on the boys face. Hinata had a knack for telling whether the blonde ninja was telling the truth or a pathetic lie/an exaggerated story. In this truth, she felt that in his voice, there was a sense of pride for his honesty. This was no lie, yet she could hardly believe it.

"I think you look great in it!" said Naruto, raising his voice slightly. He even added in his 'Nice Guy' smile, using a thumbs up.

Hinata, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open, turned a bright red. His words sent a shiver down her spine and her legs felt like jelly as she continued to walk beside the boy she admired. Her heart pounded against her and her palms began to sweat. As soon as she realised what was coming, she immediately slapped herself across the face without thinking. Naruto was perplexed.

"H-Hinata?" Naruto practically had one giant question mark floating above his head.

"OH! Um... um, I-I'm s-sorry, N-Naruto," Hinata stuttered. She was half relieved that she didn't faint, yet she was half embarrassed for slapping her own face in front of Naruto (which was still throbbing in pain). She needed to think of an excuse. "Um, I f-felt s-sleepy, s-so I n-needed to s-slap the... drowsiness... o-out of... me."

One look at Naruto said it all: she was freaking him out. At that moment, Hinata's heart sank.

"Man, Hinata, you're so bizarre," Naruto said in quite a rude tone. Hinata's heart only sank deeper. "But that's alright, that's just one the reasons why I _like_ people like you. You're such a great mystery, huh?"

Hinata came to a halt. Her heart rose to the occasion. He complimented her for being weird, and she never meant to be weird. And she was too busy playing and replaying the events that happened, before Naruto went up against Neji, in her mind. He practically said the same thing that day; he liked people like her. It was such a breathtaking memory. It almost made her feel that same sensation she felt that morning. In those days, he had more respect for her than he ever did before he became a ninja. He was so different, yet so much the same as her mother.

Hinata was so busy thinking over the past, she never noticed that Ichiraku's was roughly 10 feet away, and that Naruto was already running towards it.

"Hehe, hey Hinata, come on!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder. Hinata was back in reality. She looked up at the goofy ninja, who was smiling at her from a distance. He stopped in his tracks, giving the indigo haired girl a chance to catch up.

Hinata smiled back, practically feeling the warmth of his heart connect with hers. She ran, almost as briskly as he did.

They both entered the Ramen shop, being greeted by the Old man and his daughter behind the counter.

"Naruto?" said Teuchi, apparently surprised to see him, but quite pleased at the same time. "Hahaha, I haven't seen you since you were sent on that mission to find your old friend, Sasuke."

"It wasn't _that_ long ago, was it?" Naruto asked.

"Um, if I may add for you, compared to how many times you've been here and how long it took you to set foot in this place since you went off on that mission, it feels like you've been gone for an eternity," said Ayame in a cheeky tone.

"Geez, sorry. I didn't realise that my social life was less important than your reputation of me," Naruto said in a sarcastic tone of voice. Then he remembered who he brought along. "This time though, I invited a friend."

Teuchi's eyes were now on the lavender haired Kunoichi. A wide mischievous grin spread across his face while his hand was placed over his chin. Even Naruto could tell that something was on his mind.

"What," asked Naruto, landing firmly on a stool, as did Hinata.

"So you're _just_ hanging out with Miss Hyuuga here?" Teuchi asked.

"Well yeah, that's one way of putting it," said Naruto, looking over to Hinata who avoided direct eye contact. He looks back over to Teuchi. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand Naruto," Ayame jumped in. "You see what my father is _trying_ to imply is, well, he wonders if you have made a good friend."

"Oh, is that all?" said Naruto, his trademark grin returning. Naruto turns his head towards Hinata. "Sure I have. Infact, I kinda think of Hinata as one of best friends."

With that said, along with the reassuring smile she knew all too well, Hinata blushed deeply. What Naruto had said touched her to an extent that may not yet exist.

"Oh, th-thank you, N-Naruto, I, um, I-I f-feel the s-same way," she stuttered, which Naruto found comforting in a way.

Both Teuchi and Ayame took notice of Hinata's constant stuttering and decided it was best to just change the subject.

"So, what'll it be kids?" asked Teuchi enthusiastically.

"Miso Ramen for me, please!" yelled Naruto, who couldn't wait any longer for his favourite dish since his stomach had been growling for nearly 30 minutes.

"Um, me too, please," said Hinata, still a bit astonished on how well she managed to gain this much respect from the Blonde haired ninja, hardly making so much of a great accomplishment in her life. To Hinata, she was doing such a mediocre job at gaining his high opinion of her. She had always thought that, as she failed miserably, he would progressively lose all his trust in her to get things right, and turn his back on her. Even if it's Naruto, what possible reason would he have to even like her? Why her, the pathetic mess?

As these thoughts swirled around her head, Teuchi and Ayame were busy preparing Miso Ramen. Though Ayame was so frustrated with her father. She stole a glare now and then until his eyes finally met hers.

"Is there a problem, Ayame?" he asked, apparently a little concerned for his own safety. Ayame's stolen glares suddenly transformed into an icy stare.

"You idiot!" Ayame raised her voice, fiercely throwing thick noodles into a boiling pot of water. "You were trying to give him _the hint_ weren't you? What if you went on and on until he got the message? Do you think she's ready for him to know?"

Hinata, who had often visited Ichiraku's since Naruto departed from the village, always had long discussions with both Teuchi and Ayame about Naruto and the stories they heard from him during his _own_ time at the Ramen shop. Having a pleasant conversation about his amazing adventures, such as his first C-ranked mission (really more like a B-ranked mission) escorting a bridge builder named Tazuna to The Land of Waves and protecting him from an evil merchant who controls the country and two of his best assailants, Zabuza Momochi and Haku, got Hinata the chance to get to know more about the boy than she recently knew. She also heard from them of the new techniques he's been learning, which really inspired her because she knew that he was working so hard on mastering new jutsu. There came a day when Hinata's constant reactions to all this newfound info on the boy that both Teuchi and Ayame realised that Hinata's feelings for the blonde haired ninja were more than just a simple crush. The way Hinata smiled and placed her hand over her chest as though she were pouring all the facts on Naruto into her heart, blushing then complimenting him significantly, even though he wasn't there beside her, they came to a conclusion that Hinata cared more for Naruto than anyone possible.

However, why Ayame looked furious with her father was pretty obvious, though his reply to her sudden outburst made him sound quite dense.

"What's wrong with him getting to know how she feels for him? She _wants_ him to know how she feels."

"Not if someone, such as you, keeps blabbing!" Ayame yelled, though not loud enough for Naruto and Hinata to hear. "When a girl wants to confess her feelings to the man of her dreams, she wants to do it herself, not let some _idiot_," Ayame knocked Teuchi on the head, "do it _for_ her!"

"Ow! I'm sorry, I just got a little excited," said Teuchi, rubbing the top of his head (where there was a massive bump). "It's just that I thought it would be great for Naruto to find that there's a girl out there who truly _acknowledged_ him all this time."

"Okay, I think it would be great," Ayame said admittedly. "But apart from Hinata _not_ being ready, there are a lot more reasons why we shouldn't leak out her secret; I mean Naruto is _still_ probably preoccupied with things, such as _You Know Who_, Master Jiraiya's death (which I heard about through gossip) and...Naruto has those _feelings_ for Sakura, right? I mean those two seem to be...close huh?"

Teuchi looked over to the two sitting at the counter, apparently having one of the best conversations they had with each other. They looked happy to be with each other, to talk with one another, to be the same and expressive with one another, without feeling embarrassed (Hinata may have failed miserably on that part) and to accept one another, even when they make mistakes.

Usually when Naruto made mistakes, mostly stupid ones, it always ended with Sakura giving him one solid punch to the face or some _other_ part of the body. Yet they had a strong bond. Teuchi wasn't sure what to call it. Was it a _Brother and Sister_ type of relationship, or was it a _bitter sweet romance_ between the two? He couldn't really tell.

'Hm...are those two having a relationship far past the limit of being _best friends_?" Teuchi thought, scratching his chin. "If Naruto's happy to be with Sakura, then where does that leave Hinata? I'm not sure if I'm being biased or _un_biased about this, but something about the image of Naruto picking Sakura over Hinata...there's just something not right about that, huh?'

Meanwhile, Naruto was discussing to Hinata how his morning went.

"-so she blows me off for work, and then I somehow end up vaguely asking her to join me for ramen. And then she declares that I should stop asking her out. She says our friendship is too great to be turned into something intense. Apparently, I'm too great of an _Annoying Little Brother_ to be her date. So she quickly gets me into the mood of tracking down Sasuke, on purpose I bet. Still, I can't help but wonder where he is and why he hasn't come back himself after defeating Itachi. He _got_ his revenge. What else could he be up to _now_?"

When he heard no answer after 6 seconds, Naruto turned to Hinata to find her looking very crushed and depressed. Just staring into her darkened pupiless eyes, which were usually filled with immeasurable kindness, made it seem as though Naruto had just told her he was dying, yet he said nothing that would get her in such a disheartened state, or so he thought.

Hinata sat there, just thinking of what Naruto said; firstly on what kinda morning he had asking Sakura to join him...instead of Hinata.

'Sakura...was his first choice,' she thought quietly and _very_ dejectedly. It took so much of Hinata's will power not to shed a tear that she began to dig deep into her legs with her finger nails. 'I'm his...second choice? Just a replacement?' Hinata began to feel the moisture behind the lids of her eyes. 'I must not cry...I can't... It's not like I'm any better. Sakura's always strong, kind and so much fun to be with, especially when she's with Naruto. Looking at her now I can see that she looks gorgeous. Looking back on how I looked in the mirror...,' Hinata let out a small just thinking of herself 3 years ago. Today, Hinata is too scared to look in the mirror, even as she knew she was taken better care of herself. 'It's common knowledge that he would rather pick Sakura over me. She _is_...always there for him, whichever path he takes. But me, I'm stuck on the sidelines. I can never be with him like her anyway. I can never be with him, I can never understand exactly what he's going through unless if I were there with him.'

"H-Hinata?"

Naruto had notice the moisture in Hinata's eyes and was worried. As she turned bright red, quickly rubbing at her eyes, she turned to face him.

With closed eyes, to prevent Naruto from seeing the obvious sadness, she forced a smile.

"I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto," she said cheerfully, giving nothing away except her stuttering. Hinata took time to compose herself, wanting to show the blonde ninja that there was nothing wrong and that she was still hanging on every word that left his lips. Hinata, as she pushed everything about Sakura to the back of her mind, re-opened her eyes, leaving barely any signs her misfortune. "M-my eyes had gone a-all w-watery for s-some reason. I h-hope I'm n-not allergic to anything here."

Naruto wasn't totally convinced that she was telling the truth.

"Uh...you okay, Hinata?" he asked soothingly.

"I'm fine, n-not a p-problem," she said merrily, forcing her smile to spread.

Just before Naruto was about to accuse her of keeping secrets, Hinata spoke again, staring down at her thighs, fidgeting.

"A-and N-Naruto, you don't have to..." Hinata did her best to try to get as much words out without stuttering as she tried to gaze at Naruto's eyes again, "...you don't have to feel too badly about Sasuke not returning sooner. I mean, who knows? He probably has too much to think about."

"You really think so?" Naruto asked, almost completely forgetting to point the finger at her for not sharing whatever misfortune she carried.

"I g-guess so. I mean, if I h-had to guess, I w-would imagine that Sasuke is trying t-to understand w-what he f-finally did after a-all these y-years of yearning to put his b-brother down. I mean...there is n-no such thing as a p-person...that grows up not l-loving someone. I mean...if I'm c-correct, I would think that I-Itachi Uchiha was a prime e-example _once_. I think S-Sasuke may be thinking a lot a-after defeating him, 'cause he m-may be finding it h-hard to believe that the b-brother he once l-loved is n-no longer a-alive, and m-maybe he's finding it so h-hard to figure out where to go f-from _there_. As far as I know, I-Itachi was Sasuke's only b-blood relative and k-killing him was his m-main goal in life. Sasuke is confused N-Naruto. A-apparently, right now, he may not k-know what to do w-without him."

Naruto stared at her, enthralled by what she just said. He never knew that Hinata had known that much, and to know what she was saying. And as he thought about it, Naruto's expression had changed into a more concerned look.

"Wow, you may be right about that, Hinata," he said quietly, yet quite miserably as well. "But does that mean...I mean, is he okay? Is he on his own?"

"Oh N-N-Naruto, I-I'm t-terribly s-s-sorry," cried Hinata, worried she may have upset the blonde. "I-I didn't mean to d-disappoint, I j-just s-spoke from the m-mind and-,"

"No, no, wait a sec, Hinata!" said Naruto, now worried that he made Hinata feel guilty. "Really, it's okay. I'm just trying to take this all in. Truthfully, I feel kinda relieved. I mean sure, Sasuke may not possibly be in the best of shapes, but thinking of it this way, at least I can assume he's not doing anything nasty, right?" Naruto put on a smirk which Hinata analysed, immediately concluding that it was _quite_ fake.

'There's...that mask again. I wish he would just slip it off...forever.' As she thought, Hinata sighed, and then spoke again. "If you're not a-alright with it, N-Naruto, at l-least k-know that...you lost a v-very, very dear f-friend, but also know th-that s-someone can relate t-to how you f-feel," Naruto looked over, just wondering who on earth could know and relate to how he felt about losing his friend. Hinata's eyes had wondered to the opposite direction of where Naruto sat, fidgeting a lot more as she came to the conclusion that she was giving a lot of herself away talking to Naruto. "...I too...have lost someone _very_ dear to me." Surprising enough, she said this without stuttering.

"Huh?" This was all that Naruto could say. He started to ponder over what she just said. He never realised it at first, but at that moment he understood that he didn't know much about Hinata. In the past, he had always thought she was weird, but before the finals of the Chuunin Exam, he had a talk with her at the training grounds where he first became a Genin. It was about how she thought that he, Naruto, was a _Proud_ Failure who made mistakes, but learned from them and that it inspired her. It was after he revealed his bitter depression as he started to doubt himself was when she said this. Naruto even confessed to her that he only acted strong because he was frustrated from screwing up all the time.

It was after this grand scene that Naruto's view on Hinata had changed dramatically. He realised then that he really liked people like her. He even wished, privately, that there could be more people like Hinata around, at least without the constant stuttering.

But just when he thought he had Hinata all figured out, at this present time, Naruto knew that his knowledge of Hinata was very slim. After hearing her part, on how she had also lost someone very precious to her, he was curious, about said person who she had lost and what type of life she lived.

Naruto was _just_ about to get started, when their ramen was _finally_ placed right in front of them, which distracted Naruto.

"Hey, old man, what the hell took you so long?" Naruto cried out in an irritated manner.

"Hehe, sorry for the wait, Naruto," said Teuchi scratching the back of his head whilst grinning nervously. "There was a bit of a "disturbance" and we left the water boiling for too long. The noodles were a bit _too_ well done for _your_ taste. Same goes for Hinata. So we had to start over. Anyway, enjoy!"

"Thanks! Finally! But uh, could you please-,"

"I'll get right on it, Naruto," Teuchi interrupted, apparently knowing exactly what Naruto wanted to ask.

"Um, Naruto, what d-did you want t-to ask him?" Hinata asked as Teuchi went to the back.

"For more Ramen, duh!" said Naruto, sounding like it was so obvious.

Finally, the two of them began to slurp their food. Although, Naruto was already half-way through his first bowl, while Hinata barely had her third bite.

"So Hinata," said Naruto, drinking the last of bowls contents. "...Wanna hear a little story about a mission I just went on last week?"

"I w-would love to hear about i-it, N-Naruto," she answered kindly, prodding her index fingers together. 'I have not often heard any of his somewhat exaggerated stories, not from him anyway.'

"Alright! Well...," before he began, his unknown order had come, revealed to be five more bowls of ramen. He took one bowl, then continued, "...it began about a week ago:

"From Sakura's point of view, before I got into the whole mess, she found this Rogue Cloud Ninja skulking around in an alley. Hiding didn't help him; he practically popped his out in front of Sakura when she was passing by. She said his stealth skills where-," Naruto pouts, added with a grumble, "worse than mine." Naruto felt kinda embarrassed. 'What gives Sakura the right to compare my skills with _that_ bastard of a Ninja?'

"Naruto, it's okay," said Hinata without a stutter. Over the years she had been gaining more confidence and had been training herself not to stutter in front of anyone as much as possible. Here, Naruto had been her worst challenge yet, next to her father. She continued on, "I mean no-one's perfect. Besides, I like y-your skills as a Ninja just the way it is. You know that, right?"

Naruto grins widely. "Yeah! I remember you saying how strong I was." Naruto's grin swapped itself with a nervous smile. "Heh, you saying, that I was always a strong guy who would make mistakes but learned from them, as a Proud Failure... that, _really_ inspired me, Hinata."

'I... inspired _him_,' Hinata thought. She simply could not believe what she was capable of. "Th-thank you, Naruto... you really inspired me too."

There was awkward silence between the two. Naruto had almost forgotten he still had a bowl of Ramen to finish. Naruto brought back sound, remembering the story he was telling.

"So, uh, where was I?" he asked quite nervously. He immediately began to wolf-down the remaining contents of his bowl before things got more _dramatic_. He finished his bowl and gasped, "Oh yeah! I remember now. Anyway:

"As soon as Sakura saw the guy, he took off. She chased him, but when she caught up, right before Sakura's deadly fists of fury collided with his _spine_, I think she said, he suddenly just disappeared right before her eyes, in a flash, like lightning."

Hinata wondered. What the former Cloud Ninja could have used was the Body Flicker Jutsu, but then there would be no flash.

"Well, that's what she _thought_ at first," Naruto continued, as Hinata gave him a puzzled look.

* * *

(Flashback)

Sakura just stared in awe at what she just hit: thin-air. The intruder was right there, just a fraction of a second ago. Time seemed to be put to a halt the moment she was aware that her punch never reached the _supposedly_ pitiful Ninja. And what she could add to her shock was the white flash of electricity that suddenly just exploded in her face during her that moment. Though that experience did blind her little (it's a good thing she had her eyes squinted, or else she would be blind completely), the worst case scenario was that the flash sent a strong shock through her body, which she was forced bear with, so she could focus on where the target disappeared to.

"Tch! What the hell... where did he run off to? Just what sort of technique is he pulling here?" she asked herself, flailing her punching arm so as to get some appropriate feeling to it. 'And most important, what's he doing here? ...I have to find him, capture him and then drag him to Lady Hokage as soon as possible.'

Sakura took a look around parts of the area she was in. Though she had no such luck at first, she did find him eventually. ...Except...

"He was right in front of me the whole time?" she said in a bored yet irritated tone of voice. Though, right she was, the Cloud Nin she was searching for was just down the road in front of one of the buildings in the direction she was looking before he vanished in a flash of light. And what really infuriated her was that he was sitting on the ground muttering loudly into himself as though he did something wrong.

She could barely perceive sound from what he was saying.

"Grr... darn it," he groaned, patting dust off of his clothes. It was surprising, from Sakura's point of view, that he looked to be about iher/i age on closer inspection as she slowly moved closer, hoping to hear more on who he was and what his objective is. He had light brown, spiky hair, dark brown eyes, wore a flimsy looking white jacket over a black shirt worn over a fish-net shirt and also wore blue-black Ninja trousers which held a weapons holster on the right leg and reached above his ankles. His Ninja headband was tied around his head like Naruto's, only his was scratch, symbolising that he no longer roamed his village, that he was a rogue and a fugitive.

Sakura moved closer like a normal person, considering that he'd be of no harm after seeing him in this current state, for now. She slowly began to make out what he was murmuring gruffly under his breath.

"Aw, damn it!" he cursed. "I really need to work on that technique, or else I'll just keep running into walls." He sighed out of frustration, then again out of depression, looking down at his currently crossed legs. He began to speak more solemnly. "... Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to come here. Maybe I should have just gone with the plan. But I just... couldn't wait any longer. I'm so close. If I could just capture the tar- ," he looked up, and before he was able to finish his sentence, his eyes met Sakura's.

For a very long moment, the two just at stared each other; one stared out of pity for whatever misfortune the other had to go through, and without the slightest clue on what strategy to use to obtain new fortune to wash away the assumed misfortune. The other ones face was pretty much dense looking. It seemed like the owner of said face was thinking very, _very_ slowly as to what was happening at the moment.

After what felt like three minutes, which Sakura soon found increasingly irritating after the first _two_ minutes, the young Rogue finally spoke in an uninterested manner.

"Oh..., I've been caught."

"CAN YOU _BE_ ANY SLOWER?" Sakura yelled, but then quickly got to the point. "Never mind! Tell me, what business do you have in our village?"

"N-No business, I'm just a terrorist looking at the sights," he said with more confidence. Though at his answer, Sakura had resisted the urge to topple over.

"Uh...," Sakura face contorted, her eye twitching repeatedly, "I believe the term is 'I'm just a _tourist_ looking at the sights'. Saying that you're a _terrorist_ could, well, it could get you killed."

The former Cloud Nin considered the _theory_ and after about 30 seconds, realisation kicked in.

"Oh, you're right, my bad," he said grinning from ear to ear, scratching the back of his head.

"OKAY, SERIOUSLY, _CAN YOU BE ANY SLOWER_?" she shouted with more emphasis.

"Okay, I admit I'm a _little_ slow minded-,"

"Uh-huh."

He began to rise to his feet.

"-but slow? Pft, don't judge me there," a mischievous grin spread across his face.

Lightning chakra started to envelope the former Cloud Nins body. Suddenly, after he took a stance that looked like the type he would use to run, he had vanished in a flash like before, leaving static electricity behind. Before she did anything to go straight after him, Sakura noticed the human shaped burn marked on the wall in front of her.

* * *

TBC


	3. Author's Note 1

**Author's Note**

Hey guy's, N9B here (that would sound better if a lot more people knew about me -_-lll). For those of you wondering why it's just taking me so long to release chapters for **Soul or Soulless**, I can give you some reasons:

Lately, as a senior, I've had a lot on my mind and a lot on my hands.

Since I hardly get any comments and such, my inspiration to write for others has been dropping like a rock in a bottle of water.

I've been having _more_ than mild discomfort with my body, which constantly puts me off from most of the work I do, including my fic.

And finally, I feel that I don't have enough knowledge of the Narutoverse to have my fic make as much sense as I want it to be. _Really, _I just don't want to mess this up. I feel that all my other chapters have been _screwed_ with... by me *rolls eyes*.

Well, now that that's out of the way, the real reason I'm speaking now is because weeks ago I submitted a 'Poll' that may really speed up the time it takes me release any chapters, but so far only _one_ voted (¬.¬ I'm looking at _you _'Withering Arrow'). I suppose that since some individuals were generous enough to add my story to their Alerts (Thank you all btw =D), I have no choice but to add this Author's Note to my actual story.

The Poll questions on whether I should apply 4000 to 5000 words or 7000 to 8000 words in my chapters. All I need is a great amount of votes, so I can have a clear answer. And if possible, introduce this to some of your friends, pleeeeease. Those who are reading, choose wisely, and thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 3

**Soul or Soulless**

**Chapter 3 – An Independent Sakura**

* * *

**Sorry if it took so long, but finally, chapter 3 is out... the real chapter 3 that is. **

**If you don't know, originally I wrote five chapters in total, but the reason for what makes it three chapters is simple; first of all, when I just started releasing chapters on DeviantArt, I submitted three chapters at first, but then I realised that the first and second chapter of my story had such bad grammar and was irrelevant to the plot, I redid chapter 1, but made it short enough for me to squeeze in anything that I was fine with in chapter 2 into one who chapter. So that made two whole chapters in the end, with the exclusion of the mediocre first two chapters. And here we are with chapter 3. So... it's not as if I slacked off as much as you think.**

**And I'm sorry to say this, but Hinata won't be appearing in this chapter. To make things fair, I have to add in a lot of character development for some characters. So please enjoy anyway. Thank you.**

* * *

(Flashback continued)

Sakura stared at the blackened wall, wondering whether or not the former Cloud ninja was the cause of the apparently overcooked vertical structure. But she wasn't just going to stand in the same spot considering the option, knowing that by doing so the intruder had the advantage of escaping.

She took off, jumping from roof to roof, attempting to locate the prowling shinobi. From what she had heard from him, before he realised that he was under the watchful eye of the pink haired girl, it sounded like he was part of some group, who were planning something that had to do with someone they're targeting in the Leaf Village.

Problem was she had no clue as to who the teenaged rogue ninja was after. And she couldn't think of what they would want with this 'anonymous victim'. If it were an assassination attempt, the one attempting it had no elimination skills as far as she had seen. The ones pulling the strings couldn't be stupid enough to send someone who had no clue how to avoid being marked as an intruder.

Sakura recalled something else he said, as she dropped down into the street that wasn't a great distance from the main gate, which led out of the village.

She remembered the young rogue ninja saying that it may have been a mistake to come here, and that he just couldn't wait any longer. This told her that he must have came here of his own free will. The young Kunoichi had the idea that this was partially personal for the boy, but she couldn't verify the possibility, unless if she confronted him personally, so she could interrogate him.

Sakura quickly returned to her search, cursing herself for wasting time on something that can wait.

'Damn it, for all I know, he could've left the village by now,' she thought angrily. 'Maybe I should alert Lady Tsunade. She could send out multiple search teams in and out of the village-,' Sakura's thoughts were cut short, as her eyes moved across the sky. Many grey clouds were gathering on the same day where hot air currents rose rapidly. The dark clouds that started to envelop each other had cast a shadow over the entire Leaf Village. Pretty soon, thunder began to bellow slightly over the Fire country, raindrops falling afterwards.

"Great, rain, that's just what I need right now," she said with a sarcastic voice.

The young medic was about to start her course to the Hokage Tower, but as soon as she saw what was left of a glimmer reflected off a kunai knife that was zooming towards her head, she dodged it immediately. Then - on instinct – she dashed towards the individual who flung it in the first place; she spotted the young rogue ninja she discovered near the Hyuuga district, hanging upside down from the downside of a balcony.

Seeing that the rain was getting heavier, and that the lightning was directly above the Hidden Leaf Village, the former Cloud Shinobi felt a sense of excitement, which seemed obvious to Sakura, as she saw that his mischievous smile was spreading gradually. This confused her, but only for an instant.

Sakura hastily leaped into the air, soaring towards the overturned boy. She brought chakra into her right fist, causing an enhancement in the strength of her coming attack.

"Take this! HELL YEAH!" she bellowed just as she swung her fist towards the enemy.

However, just when the blow to boys face was only just a second away, he immediately flipped off the under-side of the balcony; passing under the Kunoichi's violent form and landing gracefully.

Being caught off guard, Sakura's chakra enhanced fist smashed into the structure below the balcony, 'causing part of the building to crumble.

After avoiding the debris that fell, the pink haired girl looked back to the rogue ninja, smirking like he was well satisfied with the whole situation, which really seemed to infuriate her.

"..., that's some pretty good agility you have. So, is there more to you than meets the eye?" she asked without much emotion in her voice, getting more serious about her self-appointed mission. She got into her basic Taijutsu stance, whilst remembering that she should've been heading towards the Hokages office by now. But from the looks of things, that course of action was sure to be delayed. She could only hope that the commotion would attract other ninja, and that she would avoid doing any permanent damage to her opponent (A/N – that is... if she can do _any_ damage). It was very important for the intruder to be interrogated, so as to know what his plans were, and who his allies and possibly his superiors were.

"What are you getting at?" the former Cloud ninja asked gruffly, the rain matching his expression of resentment. From Sakura's point of view, the hair was covering his eyes, giving him a shady look. "Am I not scary enough to be seen as a danger to my opponent? I suppose I did make a bad first impression... but my first impression in battle...," he raised his head higher, his sinister looking eyes becoming more visible, "... will surely be your physical nightmare."

Sakura tensed up, noticing the sincerity in his voice.

"We'll see," she said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. As she noticed the boy getting into an unfamiliar stance, she realised that it would be hard to read his movements.

She watched carefully, waiting for him to strike first. She wanted to risk getting hit if she couldn't dodge the coming attack, so she could possibly predict some of his movements after enduring what was unknown for now.

After a few seconds, the tension was cut when the rogue ninja lunged at her, throwing his fist towards her abdomen. He had just appeared right in front of her, catching her off guard. The fist collided with the Kunoichi's stomach.

It was as though time had stopped as soon as he touched her; her eyes widened as the pain shot through all around her abdomen. The air in her lungs had left. She wasn't sure if that was due to the actual damage he had inflicted upon her, or from the complete shock of what speed and strength he kept bottled up, until now.

As a finisher, he had sent her flying several feet away, with herself continuously crashing into the ground before rolling to a halt.

She was close to unconsciousness. Her vision was getting blurry, as she felt weakened after receiving a full on blow. The young woman could only take short, shallow breaths, trying to regain oxygen she had lost.

It also felt as though the enemy's punch had reached all the way to the surface of her spine, making it painful to move any part of her back.

The pink haired medical ninja struggled to stand on her feet, but pain was slowing her down. The best she did was stand on her trembling legs, only to succumb to her injuries, dropping down on one knee.

Sakura made eye contact with the bronze eyed ninja, giving him the sternest look she could muster. She tried to retort, attempting to overcome his arrogance. But her voice cracked, getting her into a state of coughing up blood. After a few short minutes of spewing up the red liquid, she looked back up at the rogue, breathing heavily.

He was grinning wickedly, finding his skills very effective. He watched as the girls blood seeped into the wet soil.

"You should know," he spoke calmly, folding his arms, "I specialize in a remarkable taijutsu style, which in turn rewarded me with amazing strength and speed." As he said this, he slipped off his light jacket and tied it around his waist. It was revealed that he was quite muscular looking. "But even as I only used my strength to take you down, I never had to show you what actually makes my combat style so special."

The boy strolled over nonchalantly towards the pink haired Kunoichi, obviously having no fear in being struck down if the girl managed to rise up. Grabbing Sakura by the hair, 'causing her winced, he looked into eyes, seeing if she was ready to break. Though seeing a hint of sadness in the pair of emeralds just made him feel a bit guilty for manhandling her. He could've just knocked her out quickly, but on selfish impulse, he chose to give her a good beating. For a second, the young rogue ninja frowned at his conceited actions, but he shook off this feeling of remorse, knowing full well that it could be his downfall. He went on to what he was about to say, releasing his grip on the pink hair.

"So... I feel kinda sorry for you, not having any talent or skill to stand to up to a guy like me... but I'll let you live anyway, but only because...," the former Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Clouds leaned in to whisper into Sakura's left ear, 'causing her eyes to widen, "... I pity those... who are dependent, even when they can't handle the pain that's inflicted upon them."

Almost entirely, Sakura froze at these words, and her entire world seemed to as well; she had pictured the day when Sasuke had left her and her team. How her heart ached as she was forced to put up with the events of that time of date, only to fail and fall apart in front of the one she came to love.

In fact she had liked to believe that maybe she could've made things right again, after what happened between her love and her self-appointed brother; the two boys fought bitterly, by request of the bitter Uchiha, on the rooftop of the hospital he was staying at, after he was beaten miserably by his older brother, Itachi. The quarrel that she had witnessed between the two didn't make their relationship look anything like a friendly rivalry; she remembered the hate and anger in Sasuke Uchiha's eyes as he battled the blonde. The way he seemed tempted in destroying his best friend, all for the sake of figuring out whether he was stronger or not, made her feel that the whole of Team 7's friendship was just a sham, becoming visible to her due to her two teammates raging conflict.

The pink haired Kunoichi recalled herself trying to stop said match, struggling to believe that the bond that developed between herself, Naruto and Sasuke was genuine. She wanted to believe that Team 7 had become more than a group of Shinobi led by a famous Jounin of the Leaf. She could not accept herself being part of a group where one individual compared their skills with the other. For comrades to go up against each other, with no remorse whatsoever, made the progress of their growing friendship seem worthless.

The girl was lucky that her sensei had intervened; otherwise it would've been likely for her to get caught in the attack. However, afterwards the Uchiha boy had become very distant with the others, rejecting any help that was offered to him. At that time, she couldn't fully understand why, but the anger that was displayed in Sasuke's fight against Naruto broke her heart. It felt like the hate radiating off the Uchiha boy was pushing her towards a cold, dark and lonely area, apparently having the impression that it was less frightening and safe to stay in a sanctuary that's void of the one you care for the most, even though the bold warriors attitude was what brought her there in the first place. She feared that by interacting with him, she would insincerely push him over the edge, resulting in him hating her for being more annoying than he already believed.

As a means to know what her conscience was asking of her, she needed the blonde haired Shinobi, knowing in her heart that out of her teammates, Naruto was the last one she'd expect to give up on a bond for a test of superiority, unlike the Sharingan wielder.

But even after accompanying the blonde at his favourite ramen shop, apparently making it seem like a normal date, it did not change the way she felt. She had thought that with Naruto's ability to brighten up the day, the weight on her shoulders would ease. But instead, being with the hyper-active blonde only changed her uncertainty of Sasuke's feelings to more of an understanding of what might have been going on in his head.

This had made her weep a lot whenever no-one was around. And whenever she had met up with Sasuke near the village exit, with him carrying a backpack that hung from his shoulder, a part of her wanted to run home and wrap a blanket around her body, as she could feel a dark, angry aura coming from the love of her life.

However, when she remembered that there was a possibility that Sasuke would abandon Konoha to seek out Orochimaru for power, this got her thinking; she was perhaps one of few who could probably prevent him from leaving. So the pink haired Kunoichi swallowed her fear, and confronted him.

She did everything she could to stop the Uchiha boy, until it came down to declaring her love to him. However, feeling no change in the dark atmosphere around him, she started panicked, letting the tears fall from her eyes. The fear that she thought she had swallowed, was really stuck in her throat. The thought of not being with him was slowly eating away at her. Desperate to stop the unbearable pain she felt in her heart, she even offered to join him on his quest for power and to even help with his revenge, just so she could be by his side.

As she recalled these past events, herself today - who appeared to be staring into nothingness with a petrified expression, while lying flat on wet earth – cursed her foolishness, thinking of how selfish she acted. However, being disgusted with herself did not compare to how she felt when she remembered everything that happened after the offer she had made with the Uchiha.

The medical ninja reminisced what Sasuke's response was; he called her annoying and just proceeded with the procedure of abandoning, not only the village he grew up in, but everyone who cared for him.

That day, she wanted to scream and let all of her sadness out. She had even threatened the soon to be fugitive, right before he knocked her out.

When she awoke the following morning, she found only Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, but no Sasuke Uchiha. She had succumbed to the pain in her heart and wailed out to the world. She did not care for her image or how embarrassing it was to cry in front of two ninja's who were oblivious to all that has happened to her.

Though after the young Kunoichi settled down enough so that she could speak with an audible tone, she warned the duo that the once reliable Uchiha had left the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The Hokage was informed immediately after they were told; a group of Genin, led by the recently promoted Shikamaru, were sent out to retrieve the Uchiha. The group consisted of many of her male comrades, including the number one hyper-active knuckle head ninja.

This is where present student of the 5th Hokage hated herself, as she recalled the 'once in a lifetime request she made with the blonde'.

At the main gate, where Naruto and the others were about to set off, Sakura had stopped them. She had made her most desperate attempt to cleanse her heart; she placed the burden of bringing back her love onto Naruto, even if it took him an eternity. During that time, all she wanted was absolute relief from all her suffering; she wanted to have faith, rather than continue to undergo the heartache she felt.

She couldn't handle her own pain, so she eased the pain by replacing it with faith; faith that the blonde that she came to know as a little brother would somehow bring Sasuke back.

However, even though the blonde haired Jinchuriki accepted this request, he was also accepting the major pain of rejection and hardship; Sasuke had severed his bond with Naruto, throwing away his friendship. Yet Naruto has kept his promise to the pink haired girl, but he is also taking the mental suffering that she herself should've endured. But sadly, she felt so weak in all aspects of life to even try.

Was bringing back the lost member of Team 7 worth taking the risk hurting someone else who's important to her?

Lastly she saw just how hard he tried to bring the Uchiha, from when he first attempted to retrieve him, to the point where he was grief stricken to just miss him on the last retrieval mission. In fact, all this time Naruto has faced so much difficulty, all for her sake. All for _her_ sake.

Finally, her vision was set on what was in front of her; the main gates, which was also the same place she had the 'nerve' to ask her own teammate if he would fill in for _her_ job to gain Sasuke's trust again.

Rain was still falling from the sky and she was still on the ground, not caring for the blow she took to the stomach anymore.

'What have I been doing all this time,' she thought with remorse. 'All this time... all I did was cry over losing Sasuke, but I barely did anything about it. I never took _full_ responsibility for what I want, because I felt weak... too scared that I might fail in bringing him back, or fail to change his ideals.'

Imagining a young Naruto standing near the main gates before her, she cringed when she pictured him giving her the thumbs up; the demeanour that he had displayed seemed quite fake, even when he had given her his trademark grin. He seemed almost sad, yet determined to bring the Uchiha home for her. But where did that lead him?

'I've seen and heard of all the things Naruto has done, just to get even a _glimpse_ of Sasuke. I realise now, all the pain he's going through now, was because of me! I selfishly made him promise to bring Sasuke home, but through process he's taking all the hurt that should've been _my_ hurt.'

As her thoughts of the blonde haired ninja, walking through the main gates, were replaced with what was happening in reality, she saw instead the rogue Cloud ninja walking through the main gates, who had already had already knocked out the two gate keepers. It was very unshinobi-like her, but she had almost completely forgotten about the enemy.

"That guy," Sakura grunted in pain, glaring at the former Cloud ninja like she was trying to make his head explode using only her mind. She struggled to stand on her knees, seething between breaths. Finally on her knees, she attempted to stand on her feet, which was a much harder task for her.

"H-he really d-did a number on m-me. I'm not sure if I have enough f-fight left in me. And he's n-not even tired, so the odds are a-against m-me."

She was pretty much winded, 'causing the stutter in her voice. She was hoping that her fellow Shinobi would come to aid her. And if that wasn't possible, then surely Naruto would... right?

But something occurred to her; wishing for Naruto to come help her in this situation was an example of her weakness; she was refusing to manage the trouble she was in, and she was passing it onto Naruto, practically using him as a shield that could very well get battered and beaten.

As she looked down at her knees, she was on the verge of tears. But with newfound strength, she shakily began to rise to her feet, ignoring the pain in her abdomen.

"I... I can't keep r-relying on h-him," she stammered. Seemingly standing up straight, she placed her palm over her stomach and used a healing jutsu, matching the amount of chakra with the severity of her injury. However she didn't have that long to heal; the former Cloud Nin was gradually heading his way to freedom and she couldn't risk losing track of him. "I'm a Kunoichi of t-the Leaf Village, t-taught by one of the three l-legendary Sannin! I am not so badly in distress that I should use the p-people I care about for my own personal gain!"

The Kumo Nin had suddenly stopped in his tracks. Apparently, from his point of view, the pink haired girl had shouted loud enough for him to hear. He spun around to see that the young woman was back on her feet. His eyes widened, but not from the shock of seeing his opponent undefeated.

"You can't be serious!" he shouted over to Sakura. "How can someone like you be an apprentice of one of the three legendary Sannin? You could barely last two seconds against-," he stopped near the end of his sentence, noticing that the girl was using a healing jutsu. A thought crossed his mind, but he decided to ask, "You're not a student of... hmm, what was it? Tsunade the 'Slug _Queen_'?"

While the boy was in deep thought, tapping his chin, Sakura put her healing process on hold. She went through a series of stretches, testing to see if her body was in good condition to fight; she felt her stomach twinge and her back was aching a bit, but the results were passable.

Sakura looked up at the rogue, giving him a menacing expression. Her fists tightened as she focused the precise amount of chakra into them. With chakra enhanced strength, she charged towards the currently anonymous ninja.

Realising that he hadn't actually taken the girl down completely, the former Kumo nin had no choice but to resume the fight. As he dashed towards his surprisingly tough advisory, he raised his fist in the same way he did earlier.

Right before either of the two made contact, Sakura predicted where his punch would land.

'If I'm not able to match his speed, it's a sure win for him,' she thought worriedly. She then focused her chakra into her feet, giving her an extra boost of speed, rather than strength.

The pink haired Kunoichi was able to evade getting another punch to her stomach, but as soon as the mysterious boy noticed this, he directed his fist towards her _own_, knowing that it was the only way out.

Both fists collided with each other, creating a shockwave that blew a great deal of debris away. Feeling the tremor, the two of them struggled to keep themselves from doubling over. They each felt an uncomfortable vibration going through their arms, but their pride made them ignorant.

They both stood in the rain for at least a full minute, with their throbbing knuckles pressed against each other. For their own reasons, a small smirk escaped both their lips.

'Yes, I _can_ defend myself, so I don't need to fully rely on others,' Sakura thought, a lot more strong-minded than before.

'I wonder, did I bring out this girls hidden strength without the means to?' the former Cloud ninja asked himself. He jumped back, landing a few feet away from the pink haired girl. He examined his now bruised knuckles. He felt the soreness of them ease tenderly, which gave him a sense of relief.

"So...," he began, looking back up at the Leaf Kunoichi, with more interest, "... I guess it was no lie, huh? I heard from my... superiors, that the current Hokage of the Leaf Village is 'The Slug _princess_', Tsunade, also known as one of the three legendary Sannin. Funny, no-one had mentioned to me that she possessed a student."

"Well, what you see is what you get," Sakura stated firmly, rubbing the back of her hand. "I'm her _second_ student, Sakura Haruno."

"Haruno?" he uttered, bewildered.

"That's right… I was taken in when I requested to be trained in the art of medical ninjutsu."

"She openly _accepted_ you? I find that hard to believe. From my perspective, you don't look like you could have been _half_ the ninja you are now."

"You're probably right," her eyes narrowed, thinking back on events where she just stood on the sidelines, finding herself completely useless. "There was once a Genin, who used to be someone who would just watch in fear as her comrades did all the brutal work. The reasons why she requested to become the student of the 5th Hokage was obvious; she was so sick of being a burden and not being able to do anything for her friends. She always had others there to protect her, like it was her who always came first, like she was number one. But then she asked the most reliable Kunoichi she knew to train her in the art of medical ninjutsu. All she wanted was to, in time, correct her mistakes, by protecting herself and her comrades with precision... and repair any damage done, so she could walk out of a fight as a liberator of the populace and her companions, who's not the worst scum in the world." Kakashi's face came to her mind for an instant. She smiled for being a student to some of the greatest teachers this has ever known. Sakura gave the boy a look of pure determination, getting into a fighting stance. "That girl became Sakura Haruno, the Kunoichi that stands before you now."

The young rogue ninja stood motionless near the entrance, staring face down at the ground, most likely. She couldn't really tell, as his wet hair was draped over his eyes, giving him a shady sort of look.

After what felt like a minute, the boy lifted his head, unveiling his enthusiastic laughter, squinting to avoid getting any rain in his eyes. This almost threw the young Kunoichi off, but instead it angered her, assuming that the intruder thought that what she stated was nothing but nonsense spouted from someone who was thought to be all talk. But that thought changed after his laughter stop. His wide, quivering grin was replaced with a tranquil smirk. To her eyes, _his_ eyes seemed to change as well when they opened. She could see that his source of vision was filled with... relief and happiness.

"I am so glad to hear that," he muttered, only loud enough for her to hear what he was saying. But ironically, she couldn't _understand_ what he was saying, until he spoke again with a little more audibility. "From where I only just recently departed from, I knew some of the most powerful and dedicated Shinobi in our history. To them, when it came to choosing between their wants and their dedication towards their comrades, the latter is usually the first alternative. Sure there was a time when some of our own put their needs before their honour as a ninja who can make something of his/herself, but once a person's _true_ need is recognized, it's a brilliant chance to set the healthier outcome of everything and everyone. People who are blinded by their needs have yet to see what they truly need without any regrets for _what_ they're searching for. You have to try your hardest not to let anybody get hurt just for your own sake and your own wishes. A ninja who doesn't care for where their path would lead their comrades isn't worthy to call themselves a dependable warrior."

"But... are _you_ so reliable, so as to not leave anyone in the dirt for your benefit?" Sakura asked gruffly, obviously not forgetting that he _did_ have a purpose for infiltrating the Leaf Village. "I mean, I can't fathom your exact reasons for being here, but I still can't trust you; you're attempting to capture something or someone under our noses. If that's true, then I can't be certain that this plan of yours won't pass-by without any sacrifices to our village. Or do _our_ comrades not matter?"

The young rogue ninja looked up at the dark sky, somehow confident that none of the raindrops falling would reach his wondering eyes. It looked as though he was searching for something, but really he was just reminiscing.

"When I left the Village Hidden in the Clouds, I encountered many powerful enemies in a surprisingly short amount of time," he said serenely. "I don't know if it was by coincidence that I came across foes from neighbouring villages, but I have this strange impression that their selfish acts, displayed right before my eyes in the heat of battle, helped me face what could have been reality; ninja's outside of Kumo, who are completely dependable, are just too rare. I've seen Shinobi who have never taken things into consideration when they go for a common goal. So... it's getting increasingly hard for me to believe that there are still some dedicated Shinobi villages that have those with a sense of honour and safe dreams for the future. Though I have fought more ninja's from certain nations, they all sacrificed with little regret. So for a while, I've been finding it hard actually feel regret for the things I'm forced to do to an opponent who don't care for what happens to their comrades."

"You're right," Sakura said with certainty, thinking back on many events that happened during her time as a Kunoichi. "There are so many rotten people out there, trying to steal away what they think that's important to them, without giving a damn for the people they are hurting." Many familiar faces started to pop into Sakura's head; many who would've given their lives for the people they care about, and take nothing in return, even as they live after they're noble, good deeds. "But I've met some of the most amazing people, from here to across the globe. You have to understand, at least so many Shinobi have lives that are worth living and friends that are worth everything." Sakura began to spread both her legs, turning up the wet dirt as her fighting stance was formed. A smirk was now spread across her face. "So... if you're intentions do happen to lead to the downfall of innocent people, then I must try my best to be as great and as reliable as those I look up to."

The boy's devious grin returned. He too was in his fighting stance, and ready to prove or be proved.

"If you can prove to me that you're as devoted to your village as you say you are, and if it's true that nearly every Shinobi are the same, then maybe I _can_ be a bit more considerate for happens to a village and its people," as he said this, his started to narrow, giving him more of a serious expression. "But either way, there's going to be sacrifices sooner or later. I'm sorry, but I _absolutely_ need to try my best to capture the main target, once we properly formulate a plan. I came here out of arrogance, so in order to undo my mistake, the first thing I need to do is defeat you." A look of determination was formed, with him giving the pink haired Kunoichi a toothy grin. "See, I'm not so dumb when don't have to be. And you're not so weak with that resolve I see deep in your eyes. That's something else I like to see in a ninja. So you better be prepared for the fight of your life, 'cause eventually, I wouldn't go easy on people like you."

* * *

TBC

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**Disclaimer:** "Naruto" and all its characters are property of Kishimoto Masashi, and I claim no ownership. I do claim ownership to this story and any original characters created for it.


	5. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note **

Hey, I may have some bad news, but that depends on what _you _guys would want me to do; you see, I haven't managed to get any work done on 'Soul or Soulless', and there's a chance never will.

I'm thinking of either giving up writing completely, or just putting it aside for a while, until I resolve most of what's holding me back.

I guess you could say I have Writer's block; firstly, I am one of those people who have an extremely hard time getting several things done quickly, because of my lack of energy. Secondly, this is definitely _not _a popular fanfic, so I can't find any motivation in getting anything done for a lot of readers. Thirdly, I'm a senior now, and that means I need to try and work hard and think of my future career. Problem is, due to my lack of stamina, I continually feel exhausted and out of breath (it's weird, 'cause I'm not even overweight), and drastically lowers my concentration and awareness. Lastly, I think I actually failed this story; I screwed up some of the characters personalities, I forgot to mention some important details in some parts of the chapters I released so far, I've been using so many cheesing lines and a lot of the things I wrote were just too cliché, and I regret typing them out (if I ever get back into writing and releasing chapters, expect me to leave out some things, and adding in stuff I forgot to mention). Look, I also just think that I haven't made a good effort at thinking this all through.

I just submitted a poll; I want to know what I should do.


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